Lopes set for final regular season road trip

Friday, October 20

Kansas City, Mo.

5:00 p.m.

Grand Canyon

UMKC

10/18/2017 11:35:00 AM | Men's Soccer

GCU Match Notes 2017 Media Guide

Grand Canyon travels to UMKC, No. 16 Air Force

By: Josh Hauser


Grand Canyon Lopes (6-7, 3-2 WAC)	vs.	UMKC Kangaroos (4-6-3, 2-3 WAC)	#16 Air Force Falcons (9-1-3, 3-0-2 WAC)
		Fri, Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. MST	Sun, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. MST
GCU Match Notes Media Guide		Game Notes Live Stats Live Video	Game Notes Live Stats Live Video

Coming off of a 1-1 weekend split between GCU Stadium and the road, the Lopes are set to play their final road matches of the regular season. GCU travels to UMKC for a Friday night matchup before heading to Colorado for a tilt with No. 16 Air Force. Both games will be broadcast on the WAC Digital Network.

MATCH NOTES

The Lopes are looking to turn around their luck on the road. While featuring a sparkling 5-1 record in Phoenix, away matches haven't had the same shine for Grand Canyon in 2017.

Despite allowing two goals to UTRGV last Sunday, the Lopes defense is going through a good stretch. Before allowing two goals to the Vaqueros, GCU had held its opponents scoreless for 245 consecutive minutes. It takes going back to the 2012 season to find the last time GCU held opponents scoreless in back-to-back games. The Lopes have already set their Division I record for shutout wins in a season (4), surpassing last season's mark (3).

Following a goal against Incarnate Word, Niki Jackson had scored in four consecutive matches, running his goal total to seven on the year. The senior ranks top 50 in the country in goals per game (0.58). As a team, the Lopes aren't afraid to take shots. GCU currently ranks 15th nationally at 15.31 shots per match.

Games have been a little suspenseful for the Lopes in 2017. GCU has gone 3-3 in matches that have required extra time. The six overtime games already ties 2014 for the most in a Division I season at GCU. The Lopes haven't played in more than six overtime games in a season since 2007, where they played in eight.

The freshman class continues to put its stamp on the 2017 season. Marco Afonso scored his first collegiate goal on Oct. 1 and added two assists in an Oct. 6 match at CSU Bakersfield. In the CSUB match, Malik Smith notched his first goal. Musa Morris Demos is up to three goals on the year. Josh Drack has also both scored and assisted this season. Freshmen have combined to tally 21 points in 2017.

LAST WEEK

On Friday, the Lopes hosted a rare afternoon home contest against Incarnate Word. GCU's defensive dominance was on full display, holding the Cardinals to just 6 shots and none on goal. Charlie Keating and Jackson scored within minutes of one another in the first 20 minutes of the match, allowing the Lopes to cruise to the 2-0 win.

In the Rio Grande Valley on Sunday, the first 60 seconds of the second half didn't go as planned. Grand Canyon was whistled for a yellow card and proceeded to allow the game-defining goal shortly after. The Lopes outshot the Vaqueros in the loss.

THE OPPONENTS

The Roos have scored one goal in each of their last three games, all losses. The aggressive UMKC bunch has committed more yellow cards (42) than any other team in the country. Eric McWoods leads the charge offensively, having tallied eight goals in 2017.

Last season in Phoenix, Grand Canyon pulled off its largest margin of victory of the season in a 5-1 win over the Roos. Jackson and Damian German each scored twice and did so with under 60 minutes of playing time each. GCU rattled of 20 shots in the contest with 12 on target.

The Air Force Falcons are the highest-ranked WAC member, coming in at No. 16 in the Coaches Poll this week. The wins slowed down last weekend, however, as the Falcons tied both of their matches. In a high-profile match against Seattle U, the Falcons and Redhawks played to a 2-2 tie. Air Force also tied Utah Valley last weekend. The Falcons have outscored their opponents 19-7 this season.

The Lopes and Falcons met at GCU Stadium last year in front of the second-largest crowd of the season at 3,849 fans. Tucker Bone scored his first goal of the season in the 73rd minute to help Air Force edge GCU.

A new member of GCU's coaching staff, Kevin Doyle, spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the Air Force program.

For more GCU men's soccer news, notes and numbers, click here to view this week's match notes and click here to view the media guide.